Qld insurer never offered flood cover: CEO

“We were unable to price the risk” ... in a photo taken in March, a woman stands outside a home in Cardwell, northern Queensland.
Photo: AFP

Insurer CGU has never offered flood cover as part of its home policies, the company's boss says.

CGU and several other insurers have been heavily criticised for failing to pay the claims of policy holders whose homes were affected when more than 70 per cent of Queensland flooded last summer.

Appearing before the Queensland Floods Commission of Inquiry on Thursday, its CEO Peter Harmer said in a statement that CGU had never offered flood insurance on its home policies.

"In the absence of the necessary flood mapping data, we were unable to price the risk and as such were unable to issue coverage for flood," Mr Harmer said.

Sally Doyle, whose investment property in the inner Brisbane suburb of West End was extensively damaged during the January floods, led a rally outside CGU's South Brisbane office on February 18 after she was dissatisfied with the company's handling of her claim.

Ms Doyle, who fronted the inquiry on Wednesday, said she and CGU could not agree whether it was riverine flooding or stormwater backflow that caused the damage to her home.

Queensland Premier Anna Bligh visited Ms Doyle's property on February 9, before Ms Doyle's case was featured in a Courier Mail article the next day.

In his statement, Mr Harmer said CGU's decision on February 10 to appoint an assessor to Ms Doyle's case was influenced neither by media coverage nor by the premier.

Mr Harmer said the issue about whether to appoint an assessor started being considered on February 2 after Ms Doyle failed to provide all the necessary information to CGU.

Ms Doyle on Wednesday acknowledged that she didn't provide CGU with all the tenant-related information it requested.

"I thought, 'I'm not going to get a fair hearing ... so why should I persist?'" she said.

"My dissenting view was not being heard."

Ms Doyle told the inquiry she was left demoralised by "draining and tortuous" telephone calls in her dealings with CGU.